PRINT : NIRO

Niro is one of the leading representatives of the Swedish minimalism. As a member of the group WUFC he has since the 1990s been creating the concept of “less is more” in Swedish graffiti. His style is characterized by simple, soft lettering with a charming and vibrant coloring.

The Swedish graffiti emerged in the early stages of hip-hop culture’s entry into Europe in the mid-1980s. Graffiti rapidly grew strong in the major cities but soon, and with the help of internet, spread across the countryside in the mid-1990s.

Swedish graffiti is characterized by simplicity and minimalism. This is a rather typical Swedish artistic expression and celebrated in various Swedish art forms. But for graffiti the Swedish minimalism is mainly a result of the harsh repression this art form has been under since the mid-1990s. This is when “the War on Graffiti” and “Zero Tolerance” was introduced by the government and continues to be the prevailing attitude of government officials. Simply put; the Swedish painters always had very little time to complete their paintings and always needed to work extremely fast.

A large majority of graffiti artists are completely self-taught and Niro is no exception. For a graffiti artist focused on painting trains, objects extremely difficult to reach, this means not only to learn about lettering style but equally as much how the process of circumventing risks i.e. to secure enough time to paint and not to get caught.

Niro is an essential part of the network of intensive traveling graffiti artists that emerged in the second half of the 1990s. Around a group of enthusiasts developed a strong culture of painting trains and subway systems across Europe. Niro’s style has had a great impact on today’s graffiti and his influence can be observed both in Sweden and all over the world.